THE INDIE ROCK BLOG
The Indie Rock Blog is a collection of Sugartune Artist News and entries from our friends at the Rock and Roll Report. If sweet, sugartunes are stirring in your soul, keep your soul stirred with a subscription to our news feed. 
Just a quick reminder that Rock and Roll Report Radio returns to the airwaves of CKUT FM tonight from 10:00 - 11:00 PM EST for more rock and roll fun. Enjoy your 10th green beer as you listen to bands like The Fores, Annex, American Anthem, Automan.ca and Paperback Freud rock your St. Patty’s Day!
Thanks for listening!
We are already into March thank God because I am all snowed out here in Montreal! The schedule for Rock and Roll Report Radio and the podcast looks like this:
March 5th - Podcast #8
March 12th - Podcast # 9
March 17th - Rock and Roll Report Radio on CKUT FM
March 24th - 3 Amigos on CKUT FM
I Will try and fit in another podcast towards the end of the month as I move to a more consistent weekly schedule for the podcast.
Hope you stop by and listen and please leave a comment on the website or comment line at 206-339-3646.
Look for a Rock and Roll Report Facebook Group soon!
Later
Mark
Here ya go! This is what I played on the last Rock and Roll Report Radio on Monday on CKUT 90.3 FM in Montreal and on the net at www.ckut.ca. Don’t forget that the next Rock and Roll Report Podcast is set to be released on February 20th, 2008.
Here is what I played:
Song - Album - Artist
Bump and Grind - Motherload - Big Cock
Are You a Lady? - Now Playing - Shameless
Give To Get - Blinded By the Sound - Tenspoke Indies
Bang - Rockchild - Rockchild
Full Tilt - The Spaceship Blues - The Spaceship Blues
Raise It Up the Flagpole - Roller - Paperback Freud
30 Seconds Over You - 30 Seconds Over You - The Erotics
20 To 12 - One Below the All Time Low - Watts
Guilloteenager - The Meddling Kids - The Meddling Kids
Outerspace - Disrespectfully Yours - The Millions
Hey Kate! - The Fire Apes - The Fire Apes
My Date With Andrea Nice - My God, The Shame! - The Dress Whites
Your Breaking Down - Danny Echo - Danny Echo
Northern Light - The Brown Hornets - The Brown Hornets
Losing Me - Von Zipper - Switchback
drastic plastic 128kbps Podcast (link only good for one week from date of broadcast. After that you can listen to the streaming version of the show)
If you liked any of the bands played on the show below click their CD and buy it! Show them that you care.
Later.
Mark
Just a heads up that Rock and Roll Report Radio is on tonight from 10:00 - 11:00 PM EST on www.ckut.ca.
I’ll be playing all kinds of cool stuff that is guaranteed to get your rock and roll heart beating so stop by and have a listen!
Later.
Mark
February’s schedule has been set for both Rock and Roll Report Radio and the podcast. It is as follows:
February 6th - Rock and Roll Report Podcast #6
February 11th - Rock and Roll Report Radio on the Drastic Plastic Program on CKUT FM
February 2oth - Rock and Roll Report Podcast # 7 “Sex and Rock ‘n Roll”
February 25th - The 3 Amigos on the Drastic Plastic Program on CKUT FM
Later.
Mark
Well it was finally time to REALLY kick of 2008 with another episode of Rock and Roll Report Radio on the Drastic Plastic Program on CKUT 90.3 FM here in Montreal and around the world on www.ckut.ca. The whole point of the show remains the same and actually grows stronger as time goes by. My mission is to play a varied selection of amazing indie and unsigned rock and roll that I think should be played on commercial rock radio but sadly is not. Not only do I play this stuff on Rock and Roll Report Radio and with the 3 Amigos twice a month on CKUT FM but also on the brand new Rock and Roll Report Podcast which is currently coming out twice a month as well.
You can check out what I played on last night’s show below. As usual, I have included the band’s website links and ways to purchase their music where I could (just click on the album title if it has a link). Hope you enjoyed the show and don’t forget that the next podcast is due out January 23rd.
Thanks for Listening!
Song - Album - Artist
Soak Her In - Off The Floor - Avi & Celia
104 - The Brown Hornets - The Brown Hornets
Bad Seed - Guts of Steel - Brimstone Howl
Love, Love, Love - Single - The Sea
Still Number One - Exile Parade - Exile Parade
Super-Sassy Glossy Lips - Badmouth - Badmouth
Lights Out - Blinded By The Sound - Tenspoke Indies
Mind Over Matter - Thunderblood Heart - Marvel
Make A Scene - Demetra - Demetra
Loners - S/T - The Pleasures of Merely Circulating
DJ - Moodring - Third Of Never
Goodbye Good Guy - Neanderthal - Sunspot
Stars In My Pocket - Coming Out Electric - Atomic Swindlers
drastic plastic 128kbps Podcast (Link good for one week from date of broadcast)
Later.
Mark
Well it’s 2008 and once again I am looking forward to another great year on the Drastic Plastic Program on CKUT 90.3 FM in Montreal and streaming around the world.
As usual, every Monday night from 10:00 - 11:00 PM EST at www.ckut.ca you will hear some amazing rock and roll that you probably won’t hear elsewhere. Continuing our tradition of alternating DJs, show originator Doug Ford, Manchester’s finest Armitage Shanks and myself will be rotating through the time slot every month so that we each have our own hour to shine (or stumble) and we usually close of the month with our classic (in our eyes anyway!) Three Amigos Radio Spectacular where all 3 of us kibitz together playing records until somebody kicks us off the air.
The schedule for January 2008 is as follows:
Hope you can tune in and enjoy the music!
Later.
Mark
Well I conducted my 6 month review Monday night on Rock and Roll Report Radio playing a selection of stand out tracks that I had played since June. It’s always a treat to sit in the studios of CKUT with the lights dimmed and playing blaring rock and roll on the monitors. Reminds me of being a kid in high school in my bedroom at my parent’s house!
Here is what I played:
Song - Album - Artist
Next week I will be back on the air on Monday, December 17th with the 3 Amigos and then on the 19th I will be releasing another Rock and Roll Report Podcast. I will then take a breather with the podcasts until early in the New Year, probably releasing one on January 9th, 2008.
Take care and thanks for listening!
Later
Mark
drastic plastic 128kbps Podcast
(Good for one week from the date of broadcast)
Just a heads up that Rock and Roll Report Radio is on tonight, December 10th on the Drastic Plastic Program on CKUT 90.3 FM from 10:00 - 11:00 PM EST. You can listen to it live over the air or online at www.ckut.ca as I play tracks from Nooner, Hailer, Bang Sugar Bang, the Brown Hornets and more as I look back on the last 6 months or the show.
Tune in and turn it up loud!
Ho, Ho, Ho!
Later
Mark
Here is the schedule for the Drastic Plastic Program on CKUT 90.3 FM for the month of December 2007.
As usual, the show airs Monday nights from 10:00 - 11:00 PM EST and can be heard online at www.ckut.ca.
December 3- Armitage Shanks and his indie UK rock and roll
December 10 - Rock and Roll Report Radio
December 17 - 3 Amigos Radio Spectacular!
Later.
Mark
Well 2 of the Amigos were down for the count as a result of Grey Cup festivities over the weekend but I kept everything together in the spirit of comradeship! Here is what I played:
Song - Album - Artist
drastic plastic 128kbps Podcast (Link good for one week from date of broadcast)
Later
Mark
Just a heads up that 2 of the 3 Amigos will be on tonight on the Drastic Plastic Program on www.ckut.ca from 10:00 - 11:00 PM EST.
Armitage and Doug both went to Toronto for the Grey Cup and Armitage has assured me that he will be in the studio tonight but Doug gives no guarantees so I have no clue what we will be playing. Tune in and find out as it is always quality rock and roll.
Later.
Mark
Just a heads up to everybody that Doug Ford, the longtime host of the Drastic Plastic Program on CKUT 90.3 FM here in Montreal is celebrating his 20th! anniversary on the air on November 19th from 10:00 - 11:00 PM EST at www.ckut.ca.
Make sure you tune in for what will be a momentous trip down memory lane. Doug has been broadcasting all these years for the pure love of music and it is people like this that rekindle my faith in rock and roll. Cheers Doug! I’ll be listening.
Later.
Mark
I must apologize for those of you who tried to listen online only to not be able to connect to the station. I have been assured that this is now fixed but in the future I will verify that the station is streaming properly before I go to air.
That being said it was a good show marred only by the fact that I felt compelled to talk a lot last night. I don’t know why since I always prefer to let the music do the talking but that being said, the tunes rocked! Here is what I played:
Song - Band - Album
Rooftop Sniper - The Brown Hornets - The Brown Hornets
Give Up - The Millions - Disrespectfully Yours
into the blue - Heavy Drapes - Unreleased
Track of Time - Switchback - Switchback
Sweet - Daphne - Daphne
Rock ‘N Roll - S.E.X. Department - S.E.X. Department
Gimme Everything - Toilet Boys - Sex Music
Don’t Want A Girl Who’s Been With Jack - The Condors - Wait For It
Clue - The Contrast - Underground Ghosts
Helicopters - Brian Lisik - Happiness is Boring
Just Another Trick - Beretta76 - Black Beauty
All ‘Cause Of You - The 88 - Over & Over
drastic plastic 128kbps Podcast (Good for 1 week from date of broadcast)
Later.
Mark
Rock and Roll Report Radio will be back on the air tonight, November 12th, 2007 from 10:00 - 11:00 PM EST on www.ckut.ca.
I will be playing tracks from the Brown Hornets, Heavy Drapes, the Millions, Swig, Switchback, the Condors and more. Stop by and give your ears a treat. Guaranteed MSG-free!
Later.
Mark
Rock and Roll Report Radio will be back on the air on November 12th, 2007 from 10:00 - 11:00 PM EST on www.ckut.ca.
I will be playing tracks from the Brown Hornets, Heavy Drapes, the Millions, Swig, Switchback, the Condors and more. Stop by and give your ears a treat. Guaranteed MSG-free!
Later.
Mark
Another fine show by Armitage Shanks with his usual impeccable taste in the best the UK has to offer. Here is what he played:
Artist - Album - Track
New Young Pony Club - Fantastic Playroom - The Get Go
Kate Nash - Made of Bricks - Mouthwash
Nine Black Alps - Glitter Gulch - Over the Ocean
Babyshambles - Shotters Nation - You Talk
Amy MacDonald - This is the Life - LA
Jack Penate - Matinee - Second, Minute or Hour
Joy Division - Permanent - She’s Lost Control
Athlete - Beyond the Neighbourhood - Hurricane
The Enemy - We’ll Live and Die in These Towns - Had Enough
Pigeon Detectives - Wait For Me - Take Her Back
Dave Gahan - Hourglass - Deeper & Deeper
Hard-Fi - Once Upon a Time in the West - Can’t Get Along (Without You)
The Cribs - Men’s Needs Women’s Needs Whatever - Moving Pictures
drastic plastic 128kbps Podcast (podcast link good for one week from broadcast date)
Well it was an interesting time on Monday night’s 3 Amigos on CKUT FM as we all indulged in a few pints of Guinness to celebrate my birthday and only arrived at the station 10 minutes before airtime.
That being said, we certainly had a great time, the tunes rocked and all was good. How it sounded to anybody listening is a whole other matter. Just the sound of Doug and Armitage singing “Happy Birthday” was enough to convince me that their talents certainly do not lie in making music!
If you are curious, this is what we played.
Song - Artist - Album
Me
Turn it On – Chop Suicide - Demo (Sex)
Getting You Off – Handsome Devil - Fully Automatic (Sex)
You’re a Drag When You’re High – Electric Satisfaction – Crash Kelly (Drugs)
Rock and Roll – Poets & Pornstars - Single (Rock and Roll!)
Armitage Shanks
Shadow Play - Joy Division - Best Of
The Get Go - New Young Pony Club - Fantastic Playroom
Second Minute or Hour - Jack Penate - Matinée
Doug Ford
I Wanna Destroy You - Uncle Tupelo - 7 ”
Born to Lose - the Cynics - 7″
Way Out - Heavy Trash - Going Way Out
Give up - The Millions - Disrepectfully Yours
drastic plastic 128kbps Podcast (link good for one week from date of broadcast)
Later.
Mark
OK, things have been going to hell in a hand basket with the Drastic Plastic playlists these last few weeks. I lost, then recovered, then lost again Armitage’s last playlist, Doug’s playlist got eaten by the dog apparently and I almost deleted this week’s playlist by accident…twice!
So before I hit the wrong button again, here is Armitage Shanks’ playlist for October 22, 2007. Notice the in-studio picture? Must have been taken by one of the bevy of scantily clad UK rock babes that hang out at the station during Armitage’s show. Lucky bastard…
Artist - Album - Song
The Streets - Radio 1 Established 1967 - Your Song
Foo Fighters - Radio 1 Established 1967 - Band on the Run
Babyshambles - Shotters Nation - Carry on Up the Morning
Hard-Fi - Once Upon A Time in the West - Can’t Get Along (Without You)
Jack Penate - Matinee - Second, Minute or Hour
The Pigeon Detectives - Wait for Me - I’m Not Sorry
Athlete - Beyond the Neighbourhood - Hurricane
The Enemy - We’ll Live and Die in These Towns - You’re Not Alone
The Cribs - Men’s Needs, Women’s Needs, Whatever - Moving Pictures
Kate Nash - Made of Bricks - Mouthwash
The Twang - Love It When I Feel Like This - Two Lovers
Pet Shop Boys - Disco Four - Read My Mind
drastic plastic 128kbps Podcast
(link good for one week from podcast)
The theme for this week’s show was based on a quote I saw on the MySpace page of the band Boone Heights which said “Why isn’t Rock n’ Roll a genre anymore?”
This is something I have complained about for years, the over-classification of rock and roll. Quite frankly I don’t care if you listen to Danish Goth Metal or California Power Pop Punk it is all rock and roll. The only concession I’ll give to ’60s nostalgia is the fact that whatever it was, whether it be the Stones, Doors or Frank Zappa it was all considered rock and roll. Let’s reclaim the term and use it before it fades into obsolescence.
On that note, the music I play on the show usually covers the gamut of rock and roll and this show was no exception. Whether it is the punk-inflected tunes of the late great The Joneses or the cock rock of Endeverafter, it’s all part of that great rock and roll stew. Hope you enjoyed it and if you missed it you can download it from the link below for one week.
Artist- Album - Song
Just a quick heads up that Rock and Roll Report Radio is celebrating Canadian Thanksgiving tonight by playing some amazing rock and roll that should put the stuffing back in your turkey.
Head over to www.ckut.ca at 10:00 PM EST and settle in with a bit of Pumpkin Pie and that last beer in the fridge. What better way to relax that bloated, weary gut than to listen to some driving rock and roll at full volume? It’s certainly better than cranberry sauce!
Later.
Mark
Internet Radio is increasing it’s listener base by leaps and bounds every year, especially with people at work during the day who tune in on their computers and yet the very diversity of the medium is under threat. In the United States, the organization tasked with collecting royalty payments on behalf of 90% of all artists is putting the screws to Internet radio stations by insisting they pay a massive increase in their royalty rates based on a per-song basis. What that will do is drive out the hobbyist broadcasters, those who are in it more for the passion than the profit, something covered very well in the New York Times article Online and On the Edge.
I shake my head that the mainstream music industry continues to miss the opportunities that new technology presents to them. Hobbyist Internet broadcasters, just like podcasters bring something that no publicity firm can buy and that is passion. Passion for the music they play, passion for the artists they support and passion for wanting to promote them to anybody that will listen, And while the scale may be small, in this Web 2.0 world great things can emerge from small, grassroots movements.
The thing about all of us who write about and broadcast the music we love just for the love of it is that we are in many ways more pro-artist than organizations like Soundexchange and most major labels. The last thing we want to do is screw the artists we are playing and promoting. As a matter of fact, I make it a priority to feature as many ways as possible for people to connect with and buy the music from the artists that I feature because they need the money to keep doing what they do. It is much more of a partnership than anything the mainstream music biz offers mainly because the artist is the one calling the shots.
It would be a real shame if the small-time Internet radio broadcasters are driven out of business due to the complete lack of understanding of this Web 2.0 world that we live in. While music is a business, passion is what leads to profits and short term greed will just result in long term grief. As more and more artists start taking control of their masters and rights and forging partnerships with podcasters, bloggers and small Internet radio broadcasters, mainstream media will only have itself to blame for missing the proverbial boat. Don’t slam the door on the way out!
Later.
Mark
Well it was a bit of a crazy night last night as the 3 Amigos took over the Drastic Plastic Program on CKUT 90.3 FM for another hour of rock and roll. Let’s see there was a fire just up the street from the studio, people were running around in their underwear and Shanks found out he was going to be a dad 3 minutes before airtime! And we still had time to play some music. This is what we played:
Song - Album - Artist
I just wanted to fill you all in on what has been happening with the podcast because it is the main reason that I have not been updating the site as regularly and with as much content as usual.
Things are moving ahead on the Rock and Roll Report podcast. The playlist for episode one is set and I spent the whole weekend basically testing out two microphones and conducting countless fiddling on the mixer and in the software to try and get the podcast to sound the way I want it to sound.
Now I know that podcasts are not radio (thank God!) and there are a lot of people that think the “rougher” sounding the better but I don’t buy that. I want the Rock and Roll Report Podcast to sound as good as Rock and Roll Report Radio. OK that’s tough on my miniscule budget but it is achievable; I just need to work at it. I have a new microphone on order and I am off to pick up a pop filter but I think I can make things sound good right now and hopefully even better as I get comfortable in the whole post-processing, audio engineering thing.
So things are moving ahead, the podcast should be a lot of fun and I hope you enjoy listening to some amazing rock and roll that just so happens to be produced by unsigned artists or bands on indie labels worldwide.
By the way, if you want to be considered for the podcast you can submit your stuff through SonicBids, a great service which I highly recommend or alternatively send me an email at rockandrollreport@gmail.com and I’ll get back to you. Remember that I only play what I like and sometimes it takes me awhile to wade through all the submissions but have patience and I will get to it ASAP.
By the way, the picture above is of my set-up for the Rock and Roll Report located somewhere in the hills of Hollywood….or my spare bedroom in Montreal but you get the point. It’s not normally that clean but you know, gotta make it look good for the camera!
More details soon.
Later.
Mark
Just a quick reminder that the 3 Amigos are on the air tonight from 10:00 - 11:00 PM EST.
Just head over to www.ckut.ca and join in on an hour of quality rock and roll and plenty of shits ang giggles, hopefully more giggles than shits naturally!
Later.
Mark
Creature
Moonshine Orchestra
The Snitches